Game 1 between the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics looked like a foregone conclusion when Joel Embiid was officially ruled out. James Harden and the Sixers had other plans, stealing the game to go up 1-0 by a final score of 119-115.
Harden was just on another level in this one. He found the right spots in the Celtics' defense to fire away and shot the lights out. Down the stretch, with the Sixers' offense looking wobbly, he stabilized things for Philly and snatched a win on the road with a 45-point performance, tying his playoff career-high.
No one rose to the occasion quite like Harden did but many other Sixers players did step up in the win over the Celtics. Behind Harden, the Sixers' second leading scorer was Tyrese Maxey, who scored 26 points. P.J. Tucker did his thing and didn't even need a single shot attempt to make an impact. Tobias Harris contributed 18 points, five rebounds and three assists.
While Harden deserves the bulk of the praise and attention, he didn't steal Game 1 by himself. Several of his Sixers teammates were hugely important to one of Philly's most improbable playoff wins ever.
3. De'Anthony Melton
Sixers fans are not too far away from flooding the mailbox of Memphis Grizzlies general manager Zach Kleiman with thank-you cards. His willingness to trade Melton last offseason has never been taken for granted but especially after this game, everyone around the team is super grateful they have him on their side.
Melton scored 17 points and shot 5-6 from beyond the arc, draining four of them from just above the break on the right side in the second quarter. Although the majority of his offensive contributions came in that quarter, they were of such magnitude that he is worthy of immense praise. The Sixers had to keep up with the Celtics' offense and Melton's shooting was a big key to it.
The shooting stuck out but it's not all Melton provided. He blocked a pair of shots in the second half and didn't force the issue when he had it going in the second quarter. In a pick-and-roll with Reed and after the Celtics left Harris open from the arc after collapsing to the paint, he made the correct reads to help the Sixers keep up.
2. Tyrese Maxey
This was not Maxey at his best but it was a huge step in the right direction as he looks to establish a footing against the Celtics, which he failed to do in the regular season. Boston knocked Maxey off his game consistently when he had Embiid to lean on. Seeing him stay in attack mode and put up a fairly high point total on decent efficiency with Embiid out is extremely promising.
The main cause of his inefficiency is that he didn't get enough of his jumpers to fall. He shot an uncharacteristically low 3-14 outside of the paint. His percentage was dragged down by a few times when he was given grenades at the end of the shot clock that he couldn't do much with. But he did also miss some open looks and settled for tougher shots too much.
When Maxey got to the paint, however, good things happened more often than not. He converted some difficult looks after gaining a step on his man, using different angles off the backboard to score. Although some of the steals he recorded weren't all the product of his defense, he moved his feet and provides resistance against his matchups. He put those steals to good use in the fast break, scoring twice at the rim himself and creating a chance for Harden that he cashed in on.
His biggest play of the night was a bizarre one where he was gifted a golden opportunity. He was very close to stopping the play after supposedly hearing the horn. Thankfully for the Sixers, he finished off the play, which they needed to fend off the Celtics. His final stat line: 26 points on 10-24 shooting, four steals, two assists, one rebound.
TYRESE MAXEY STEAL AND SCORE! SIXERS LEAD 🤯pic.twitter.com/ODFBp9uAMk
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) May 2, 2023
The biggest adjustments for him ahead of Game 2 will be to cut out some of those off-balance jumpers and avoid foul trouble — or, at least, continuing playing defense in spite of it.
1. Paul Reed
Joel Embiid's shoes are enormous ones to fill. With the added pressure coming from the TD Garden environment, it can be overwhelming to handle. Paul Reed may be shaken by the moment but he's never one to crumble in it.
Reed tallied 10 points, 13 rebounds (four on offense), two assists, a steal and a block in the Sixers' win. He shook off some early struggles and came away with numerous key plays. Down the stretch, he did a textbook job of contesting drivers without abundantly fouling and then securing the board. Foul trouble has often plagued him but in 37 minutes — the most amount of playing time he has ever received in a single NBA game — he kept his foul total at four.
At the very end of the game, Reed had four total free throws with the game very close and the Sixers in need of points. He came through on each one of them with picturesque swishes. The final two secured the win by giving Philly a four-point lead.
No one else on the team gets dogpiled with criticism like Bball Paul does. Doc Rivers admitted that they were teetering on excessive criticism after Al Horford beat him out on the glass late in the game. Yet, he responds positively to it every single time, honing in on what his older teammates and coaches tell him rather than pouting or letting the intensity rattle him. He is blossoming into a legitimate playoff contributor and a more complete player with each game.
The Sixers would have been happy to find a backup for Embiid that can merely survive in the playoffs and not actively hold the team back. In Reed, they have one who actively helps them win. For the second time in a row, Reed helped get Philly out of the mud and into the W column with Embiid on the bench in the playoffs.
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